CONCERNS:

Paul Cornsweet

Susan Cyr    

Kerry Holbrook    

Lee House

Chris James   

George Kafula      

Parker Morton

Carol Wills

Franzi Rokoske: follow her journey via CARING BRIDGE.

Mitzi Lesher-Thomas: follow her journey via Caring Bridge: CARING BRIDGE.

Care Communities:

Croasdaile Pavilion: Dub Gulley

Dubose Center at The Cedars, Chapel Hill: Arthur Clark

Durham Ridge Assisted Living: Phillip Herndon

Hillcrest Convalescent: Julian Boswell, Maxie Honeycutt, Jim Wolfe

Family and Friends of the Congregation:

Liz Block, cousin of Jane and Bill Brown                           

Bob, friend of Fred and Jo Ann Moore                      

John Carter, brother of Conrad Carter

Grace, Chris James’ great-niece                                            

Pam Hanson, mother of Laura Hanson    

Karen Shelton, mother-in-law of Dawn Carsey Shelton    

Jim Vacca, father of Jamie Chambliss                              

John Wakefield, cousin of Vernon Neece        

Year-End Giving

Timely payment of pledges by December 31 will allow First Presbyterian to pay its end-of-year bills promptly and to meet its benevolence obligations for 2022.

Please remember that the church must receive your charitable contributions by 12:00 p.m. on Friday, December 30, 2022; or the gift must be postmarked by December 31, 2022, if mailed, to be deductible on your 2022 taxes.

If you wish to make a contribution by credit card, this may be done through the church's website (www.firstpres-durham.org) at any time. To be deductible on your 2022 taxes, please initiate the gift by Wednesday, December 28. On-line contributions scheduled for December 30 or 31 will not reach us in time.

If you wish to make a donation through a gift of stock, please notify Tom Bloom, Business Administrator (t.bloom@firstpres-durham.org) as soon as possible.

Members aged 70 ½ + who own an IRA may be able to make a tax-excludable gift directly to First Presbyterian and have that gift satisfy any required minimum distribution for this year. Please contact your IRA administrator ASAP if you wish to consider this giving option for tax year 2022.  

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Epiphany of the Lord

No Faith Formation Classes

The Lectionary Class will meet at its usual time and place this Sunday.

Worship - 11:00 a.m.

Wilson Gunn, preaching

LECTIONARY CLASS

 Sundays, 9:45-10:45 a.m. (year-round)

Join us each Sunday for discussion, as we meet both online and in person in the Robert Daye Parlor. The class will begin at 9:45, preceded at 9:35 by sharing of news and concerns, and will end at 10:45.

On January 1: Time passes. A year ends, and another year begins. Is there special meaning for us in this day on the calendar? What will the coming year bring? Do our past actions determine our future? Or is there an opportunity to change, to improve, to resolve to be different? “See, I am making all things new.”

On January 8: What is the power of baptism? A little water, perhaps from a muddy river…is the voice of God heard over the water? And is the person who emerges from the water different in some way?

To join remotely via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89195306050

For phone access (audio only), call 253-215-8782.) If you need a copy of the handout of scripture readings, contact David Smith [davidjudysmith@frontier.com.]

 If you need a copy of the handout of scripture readings, contact David Smith.

JOURNEYS CLASS

Sundays, 9:45-10:45 a.m. in the Wilson Parlor

STUDY PLAN

Remember that class begins at 9:45 a.m. sharp, and let us know if you want to join calls via Zoom before Sunday.



 Contact Andy Henry (919-599-9405) if you have questions about class content.

Additional handicap space coming to the sanctuary

Following approvals from the Worship and the Arts and Property Committees, two spaces for wheelchairs will be added in the sanctuary in the coming weeks. The spaces will be located midway back in the shorter pews adjacent to the sanctuary side walls. To create each space, two pews will be shortened to provide a space large enough for a wheelchair to maneuver. The short pews next to the spaces will provide companion seating. The new spaces will offer more seating options than the current ones in the front and back and are part of our continuing efforts to open our space to everyone. 

--Tyler Momsen-Hudson 

Building Committee Chair 

Slide Show: Birds of Western Brazil

Do you want to escape the cold winter days, at least virtually? David and Judy Smith spent more than two weeks last July in the hot, humid Amazon of Western Brazil, and they came home with lots of photos of tropical birds and monkeys. Join them for a slide show on Tuesday, January 17, at 7:15 p.m. in Watts-Hill Hall. (If you’re interested in a Zoom option, please contact David Smith.)

SAVE THE DATE

THE LEGACY SOCIETY LUNCHEON

The Legacy Society luncheon returns in-person on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at Croasdaile Country Club. We look forward to gathering together again and enjoying the fellowship of one another. The Legacy Society welcomes new members. For a Legacy Society brochure or information on joining, contact Tom Bloom. We hope to see you there. Invitations will be mailed soon.

The Legacy Society Committee

FLOWERS FOR WORSHIP 2023

The flower ministry of FPC offers a meaningful way to donate flowers for the sanctuary in memory or in honor of a loved one, or in celebration of a special occasion. Each Sunday the flower arrangements bring the colors and beauty of nature to our worship service. Following worship, our deacons divide the flowers and deliver smaller arrangements to members who are ill, grieving, or unable to attend church, as a way of sharing with them a part of our worship service. Ninth Street Flowers creates the beautiful arrangements each Sunday at a cost of $65. If you would like to reserve a Sunday in 2023 to be a donor of flowers for worship in 2023, please sign up ONLINE using this link: FLOWERS FOR WORSHIP. Make check payable to FPC and memo "Flowers" and the date.

New Programs from Growing thru Grief

Growing thru Grief offers help and support to people grieving the loss of a loved one. We are a coalition of religious and civic organizations which have been serving people since 2013. We offer education and small group support each week.

Here is the schedule for January:

Jan.  3            Holiday Updates and Resolutions, with Cora Harrison

Jan. 10           Beyond Getting Over It: On the Myth of ‘Grief Recovery,’ with Aaron Klink

Jan. 17           How Will I Know I’m Feeling Better? With Pastor Scott Anderson

Jan. 24          Grief Shared is Grief Diminished, with Artie Hendricks

Jan. 31           Frogs in Cream, with Nell Noonan

We meet at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1200 West Cornwallis in Durham. Meetings are held each Tuesday, with registration starting at 4:00. First time attendees must show proof of COVID vaccination and booster(s). Masks are optional. We ask people to come at 4; the program begins at 4:30, and all will end by 6. Please contact admin@growingthrugrief.org if you have any questions.

Want to Serve on a Care Team? 

Care teams are being formed for three of our members. Members of a care team do a variety of things for their recipient to support them or help them find support. Care team members work together and support each other as well. Contact Susan Dunlap if you are interested in being on a care team in general, or on a team for a particular person, or if you have questions.